美国国家公共电台 NPR--Amazon's 'Lord of the Rings' prequel series spends a lot of time setting the scene

Amazon's 'Lord of the Rings' prequel series spends a lot of time setting the scene

Transcript¹

Rings of Power, set thousands of years before the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, is Amazon's shot at a big, pop culture bending hit, with a budget estimated at least $100 million a season.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I know what I'm doing on Friday night. The new prequel series "The Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power" debuts² with two episodes on Amazon Prime Video tomorrow. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says the series meticulously³ recreates and expands the fantasy world of the franchise⁴ inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novels. But Eric says it may not have created characters or a story worthy⁵ of the setting.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE⁶: There's a phenomenon that crops up in TV shows and films sometimes called table-setting. That's when a series takes time to really contextualize characters and situations before the story gets going so the audience understands the stakes at hand. And, boy, does "Rings Of Power" spend a lot of time in its first two episodes setting the table.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER")

MORFYDD CLARK: (As Galadriel) Nothing is evil in the beginning, when the world was so young, there had not yet been a sunrise. But even then, there was light.

DEGGANS: That's Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, an elf leader who was played by Cate Blanchett in Peter Jackson's "Lord Of The Rings" movies. Now, Amazon's series takes place thousands of years before events in Jackson's films, but elves age slower, allowing "Rings Of Power" to feature a younger version of Blanchett's character. The series uses Galadriel's story to ease viewers into its new universe. Her history, presented mostly in montages, could have covered half a season by itself - the elves' war against the dark lord Morgoth, who tried to snuff out the giant trees which bring light to their world.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RINGS OF POWER")

CLARK: (As Galadriel) We thought our light would never dim. So when the great foe⁷ Morgoth destroyed the very light of our home, we resisted.

DEGGANS: OK, here's where the story gets complicated, because Morgoth isn't the main villain⁸ of "Rings Of Power." That honor falls to Sauron, an evil apprentice⁹ of Morgoth and the disembodied villain from the "Lord Of The Rings" movies who kills Galadriel's brother in Amazon's series.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RINGS OF POWER")

CLARK: (As Galadriel) My brother gave his life hunting Sauron. His task is now mine.

DEGGANS: And that's just one of the stories teed up in the first couple of episodes in this series. It depicts¹⁰ a world where elves, dwarves¹¹, hobbits and men are mostly unaware¹² that Sauron is quietly gathering¹³ his strength to conquer their world. And no group of characters may be more innocent in this story than the harfoots, a type of hobbit that often serves as comic relief with their own unique code.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RINGS OF POWER")

DYLAN SMITH: (As Largo¹⁴ Brandyfoot) One thing we can do better than any creature in all Middle Earth - we stay true to each other, with our hearts even bigger than our feet.

DEGGANS: Because of all the backstories and setup, it's hard to know how good "Rings Of Power" really is, especially from its first two episodes. Of course, there are eye-popping special effects and makeup¹⁵. With Amazon ponying¹⁶ up a reported $100 million budget per season, there better be. But it's tough to know the significance of all the characters unless you do some online research before you even watch the show. I'm also increasingly uncomfortable with fantasy worlds that are so inspired by European medieval history that they feel incredibly white-centered, even when they throw in a few non-white characters to help diversify¹⁷ things. It's obvious "Rings Of Power" is Amazon's shot at a pop-culture-bending "Game Of Thrones"-sized hit. But without the kind of compelling characters that made Peter Jackson's film so memorable¹⁸, you're stuck sitting at a well-appointed table with a pretty lackluster meal.

I'm Eric Deggans.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 debuts   

演员首次演出( debut的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He never really debuts the idea of taking money from his parents any longer. 他从此就再也没有认真起过向父母要钱的念头。
• This young soprano debuts next month at the metropolitan opera. 这位年轻的女高音歌唱家下个月将在纽约大都会歌剧院举行首演。

3 meticulously   

adv.过细地，异常细致地；无微不至；精心

参考例句：

• The hammer's silvery head was etched with holy runs and its haft was meticulously wrapped in blue leather. 锤子头是纯银制成的，雕刻着神圣符文，而握柄则被精心地包裹在蓝色的皮革中。 来自辞典例句
• She is always meticulously accurate in punctuation and spelling. 她的标点和拼写总是非常精确。 来自辞典例句

4 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

5 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

8 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

9 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

10 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

11 dwarves   

n.矮子( dwarf的名词复数 )；有魔法的小矮人

参考例句：

• Everyone will try to claim it: Men, Dwarves, wizards. 每个种族都会争取它的拥有权：人类，矮人，巫师。 来自电影对白
• Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves? 难道你还不了解那个矮人的倔强吗？ 来自电影对白

12 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

13 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

14 largo   

n.广板乐章；adj.缓慢的，宽广的；adv.缓慢地，宽广地

参考例句：

• The tempo marking in most cases is andante,adagio,or largo.大多数第一乐章的速度标记是行板、柔板或广板。
• The second movement is a largo.第二乐章是广板乐章。

15 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

16 ponying   

矮种马，小型马( pony的现在分词 )； ￡25 25 英镑

参考例句：

• Caption: Ponying Up:Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rides a horse while on vacation in Tuva, Russia. 描述：骑马：俄联邦图瓦共和国度假期间，俄罗斯总理弗拉基米尔·普京骑着一匹马。

17 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

18 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。